Shinobu Kitayama to serve as next director of RCGD
July 9, 2026
ANN ARBOR — Shinobu Kitayama will serve as the next director of the Institute for Social Research’s (ISR) Research Center for Group Dynamics.
Kitayama is the Robert B. Zajonc Collegiate Professor of Psychology and director of the Culture & Cognition program at the University of Michigan in addition to his work as a research professor at RCGD. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Kyoto in 1979 and 1981 before completing his Ph.D. at U-M in 1987.
Throughout his career, Kitayama’s research has focused on the role culture plays in shaping different psychological processes, with a specific focus on the differences and similarities between people in Asian countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and China and people in North and South America. His scholarly efforts have been influential in the fields of cultural psychology as well as the broader social sciences.
Kitayama succeeds Rich Gonzalez, who served as the director of RCGD for the past 11 years.
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])